The Bumbleing Bee
by Chesire-Grin
Summary: Bridget is a girl who leads a fast life, but is there really someone who could catch up to her? Mulletxoc This is a rewrite of hoot, with a couple of my own characters included, it will eventually lead to a second hoot, depending on how often I update.
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Bumbling Bee

I have never walked once in my life. Not since I was a child, not once. I've always ran. It wasn't so much the fact that I was always energetic nor the fact that I could never sit still. It just always seemed that life always move just a little bit to slow for my liking.

Today was no exception.

The brisk air of the night chilled me to the bone but tempted me at the same time, this is what I lived for, even if it was just a light jog with my friends.

I smiled as I titled my head around to view Rachel and Anne's images begin to fade from my view. I had passed them a while back and unable to keep my competitive spirit at bay had darted further and further ahead until they were a mere speck on the horizon.

Smiling to myself I took a break as I reached the driving range. I caught my breath as I leaned against the golf course sign. I stared out at the driving range, it seemed to go on for miles.

Whistling softly I made my way over to the bench by the entrance to the course. I took a few deep breaths and my breathing became normal once more. It was now smooth and steady. I suddenly heard a snap and whipped my head round, only to find a pigeon looking back at me, cooing softly to itself. I laughed at my own paranoia and beckoned the bird towards me, murmuring quietly in turn.

It stared at my fingers, outstretched and forward. It took a couple of uneasy steps before taking flight once more, that's when I heard the laughing.

This time it wasn't my stupid paranoia, I also heard a snap and whipped my head round once more, this time towards the driving range.

No one was there.

But I did hear footsteps heading off towards the distance, I ground my teeth and got up to go after the person but I was tapped on the shoulder and nearly jumped 5 feet in the air. Not to mention letting out a scream that could have awoken the dead.

"Gees Bee," Complained Anne. "No need to make me go deaf."  
Rachel was busy trying to cover up a laugh, and sounded like a cat with a hair ball.

"Ray, you can laugh and breathe now." I said just to satisfy her at which point she burst out laughing, I feared she might start crying, she was laughing so hard.

"Ray," I said in the most serious voice I could muster." I was being sarcastic." I let out a sigh then began to laugh as I watched her face falter. Then she realized I was joking and began to laugh as well. After I finished laughing I said to them.

"So slowpokes how does it feel to be beaten by _moi _the most incredible runner in the universe?"I threw my hands up in the air for effect then made a slight bow. They chuckled and then Anne spoke up.

"Well miss 'I'm the most incredible runner in the universe' how bout we have another race?"

"You have peeked my interest" I said in my most sophisticated tone."Do tell me more." She smiled and continued.  
"Alright, I bet that Ray and I here can beat you to our street. But here's the catch."

She lowered her voice. "You have to take the route through the woods." Rachel gasped as did I. Don't get me wrong I had gone through the woods before and I had taken that path as well but that was when there was light out. And tell to you the truth it kind of freaked me out to go anywhere at night. But once again because of my competitive spirit I swallowed my fear and answered. "No problem, I've done this a thousand times." Anne raised her eyebrow and I just smiled.

"First one's back wins, deal?" I said.

They both nodded and took off as did I

That's when I realized what route I had just decided to take, it was the one I had heard the laughter coming from earlier.

_Oh great…_ It thought angrily as I began to trudge up the golfing course trail. If you don't know the woods is right by the golf course. So I continued to make my way across the driving range, though now I was running like there was no tomorrow.

I reached the white pines that grew at the entrance to the forest. I couldn't decide whether to swallow my pride or not.

My pride won and I continued forward, in to the unknown or at least in to the dark. The pine needles gave way as I pushed my way through them. A few scratched my face but it was nothing serious. After the pines there were some sort of thicket made out of Brazilian peppers and there was a dense ground shrub beneath that. I tried to go through them but it seemed almost impossible. Finally after multiple tries I broke through to a ditch like area and began to make my way through the woods.

_Strange…_ I thought and began to walk only to start sliding at a fast rate. I looked down frantically searching for something to grab on to. Luckily a branch caught my eye and I swiftly hoisted my self back up. It's a good thing I did that because as I peered over the edge a familiar hissing noise brought me back to my senses. There lying in a pile were snakes, about eight or nine of them in total. By the way their heads were shaped, in a triangle, they seemed to be moccasins and they were highly poisonous. I gasped and backed up further, that's when I realized I was not alone.

I realized this because as I backed up I hit something. No that something was not a tree or a rock. That something was a person. I know that because as I backed up and hit that 'something' it made a big 'oomph' sound. I froze in my spot then quickly turned around only to be met with a face that was mere inches away from my face.

He couldn't have been any older then me. He had a hood over his head but I could see tuffs of curly hair sticking out from underneath. He had dark skin and deep, dark eyes. I slowly backed away, forgetting entirely about the ditch not to mention the snakes and began tumbling, backwards down the slope.

I landed on my back, hard. I probably also squashed some of the snakes in the process, much to their displeasure. To my displeasure as well because noticed that I hadn't squashed any of them and succeeded in infuriating them more, they were all hissing at me furiously now. All of them were prepared to bit me at any moment.

Glancing up I saw him looking down at me then muttering in a commanding whisper, "Don't move."

I glared up at him.

"Easy for you to say," I answered in deadly whisper. "You're not the one in a pit full of cottonmouths."

He smirked at me, obviously happy that I knew what type of snake it was. _Oh well isn't this wonderful?_ I thought sarcastically, _he's happy that I know the breed of snake that's going to kill me, great, just great…_

One of the bolder snakes began to slither forward, hissing menacingly at me. I tried to back up but that was quite impossible. So I did something that surprised him, the snake and even me.

I began to coo softly, a lot like what I had done with bird. Softly murmuring to the snake I sent glances up to the boy, who looked like he was in complete shock that I was doing this. All the same though the snake slowly stopped hissing and merely began to flick its tongue up at my foot lazily. I let out a sigh of relief then realized what I had done. The now calm snakes had begun to slither over my legs and feet. _Funderful…_

**A/n: if any of you readers are wondering what funderful is, no I did not spell wonderful wrong, but anyway it just means fing wonderful. I made it up so don't steal it please. Anyways back to the story.**

I glanced up at him once more. He muttered something to himself that I was unable to hear. I then turned my attention back to the snakes that were now happily slithering over any part of my body that was lower then waist.

I gave the boy a look of helplessness and he merely put a finger to his lips. I gave him a confused look but stayed quiet none the less. Then scanning the area he pointed to the right, I followed his gaze and noticed that at the right side of the ditch part of it seemed more climbable. I nodded to him and began my way over there. Now let me tell you, when you have eight or nine snakes lying on your legs, which are one of your sole methods of movement, it's very difficult to move.

Once I did though he was waiting for me with a hand outstretched and ready. I got ready to jump up, taking a couple of deep breaths, before bolting up and grasping on to his hand. He hauled me out of the ditch with ease and wrapped an arm around my waist to steady me, which was thankfully there as I fell back almost instantly. But then I realized the way he was holding me and pushed him off. He gave a confused look, but then backed off all the same, smiling as he understood why. He suddenly grabbed my wrist and led me back along the slope, to a spot that was less narrow.

Once we got there I began bombarding him with questions almost immediately.

"Who are you?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Do you live here?"

"Are you a criminal?"

" Did you go to jail?"

"Why are those snakes there? Are they your snakes? Why would anyone want snakes? I mean really they are poisonous and scary and-"

He cut me off by putting a hand over my mouth then announcing.

"Man, girls talk too much."

I glared up at him and removed his hand from my mouth, well at least tried to, but it wouldn't budge. So I came up with a brilliant idea.

I licked his hand.

He immediately took it off and gave me a strange look. I merely smiled at him sweetly before talking.

"Well excuse me! You're not the one stuck in a pit full of snakes! Not to mention the fact that they are highly poisonous! You're lucky I'm not in hysterics! I mean really for all I know you could have left me ther-"

He cut me off again.

"I wouldn't have left you there so don't freak out."

I eyed him, he seemed to be telling me the truth but then again you never can tell. While I was eyeing him I noticed that his hair was sun bleached and he had a deep tan, this is Florida after all. Apart from that he seemed to have very bony shoulders that could be seen underneath the hoodie he was wearing. He cocked an eyebrow and I merely rolled my eyes.

"So, who are you?" I asked.

"You don't need to know, we're even. Ok? No big deal." He answered.

"Well," I said rather awkwardly. "That wasn't exactly what I was going to say but thanks anyway. All the same though who are you and what are you doing here?"

He let out a sigh but answered anyway. "People call me Mullet Fingers-"I almost snorted but then realized he was serious so I didn't. "I live here." I gaped at him.

"You live out here?" I gasped. "I mean, I've gone camping and stuff but why would you live out here? You're like my age?"

He just grinned boyishly at me before laughing. "I live out here because I love nature and 'cause my mom hates me." I raised an eyebrow and he answered. "I ran away from the school she sent me to because I hated it there. No one knows that I'm here and they aren't going to find out, got it?" He told me threateningly.

I got up and looked him in the eyes, I had to look up because he was taller then me. "Are you threatening me?" I questioned in a deadly tone.

He walked up further to me and looked me in the eyes, he had to look down though. "What if I am?" He question in a mocking voice.

"Well, then, um…" I fumbled with my words and trailed off. He just smirked at me.

"Ah, calm down. I ain't gonna hurt you." I gave an involuntary sigh of relief and he smiled at me, I smiled back. "Anyway, "I continued. "Why are there a bunch of snakes here?"

"They're mine." He answered.

"Really? Why do you have them?"

He grinned at me. "No comment." I scowled at him and his grin only grew wider.

"So," He continued, ignoring my glare as he talked. "You know my name, but I don't know yours. Care to explain?"

I was about to tell him that 'Mullet Fingers' wasn't really a name but I blurted out something else before I could.

"My name's Bee."

"And you thought my name was bad." He said with a snort. I glared at him.

"Fine, my name is Bridget. Happy?" I announced rather crossly.

"Plenty," He said. "So, Bridget, tell me, do you always talk to pigeons when you're running?" He laughed.

I was about to tell him 'no I don't' or 'the bird was cool,' but instead I exclaimed:

"It was you!"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You! You're the one who was watching me! And laughing at me!"

"Oh, that. Yah that was me."

"Well why did you do it?"

He laughed lightly. "Do you really want me to answer that?" I nodded and he smirked. "I was watching you because I saw three girls run past me a while back along the pathway, and they looked pretty good."

I blushed at first and promptly crossed my arms over my chest, but then I thought of something else and asked him.

"You mean you saw us back along the trail?" He nodded.

"But that doesn't make sense, if you saw me back there…"I trailed off, deep in thought and began to talk more to myself then him. Then it clicked.

"Are you saying you ran all the way up here, from there and still beat me to the golf course?" He nodded again and smiled at me, his face beaming with pride.

All I could say was "whoa".

I had just found someone who could out run me and even though I should have been jealous, but I wasn't. On the contrary, I was feeling excited.

I was staring at him still when I realized that my hat had fallen off a while back, and my hair was a mess, I blushed lightly realizing how I looked and I tried desperately to fix it.

I pushed the hair out my eyes, my ponytail had fallen out a long way back, and I stared back at Mullet fingers I was still in awe of him, he had been able to outrun me, me! I was in shock, and to tell you the truth he seemed to like the fact that I was in shock, as he stared at me wistfully while I toyed with my hair, trying to desperately put it in a ponytail to no avail, Mullet fingers was trying not to laugh, to no avail either.

We had been standing like that for a while, my hair was incredibly uncooperative.

Out of pity, I assuming, he came over to me, I back away a bit, and he told me to hold still and he would put it up, which he did. I raised my eyebrows at this and he shrugged.

"I have a step-sis she puts her hair up all the time."

"Oh, I see."

"Yah."

With that there was silence between us once more and I didn't meet his gaze. When I did though, he rose on of his eyebrows, concerning my change of mood and I decided then to look at my watch. It was around eleven o'clock. I gasped and hastily tried to fix my clothes, which had been dirtied on my fall down the hill, he stared at me confused.

"What's up with you?"

"I've got to get home, it's almost eleven thirty!"

"So?"

"Well I'm sorry, but I do have to go to school." I said rather quickly as I reached to pick up my fallen hat, he smirked at me.

"Sure you aren't just running away from me?"

"Excuse me?" I said forgetting about my hat completely as I straightened up from my bent form and turned to face him.

"I said are you sure you aren't just running scared from me?"

"What! I am not scared of you!"

"Then why were you stuttering before?" He smirked triumphantly at me, knowing that he had just won this argument.

"Because it's freezing out here." I said, stuttering slightly, and he noticed sadly, as his smirk grew wider.

"We're in Florida."

"So Florida can be cold." He rolled his eyes at me and gave a look that plainly said, 'I'm right and you know it,' but I wasn't backing down. He raised his eyebrow again and I decided to point something out to him.

"You know, your face is going to stay like that if you keep doing that." He laughed, and I smiled, glad that the tension in the air was gone.

"That only happens when you scowl, and believe me I've been doing that for a long time and my face is still as handsome as ever." I laughed. I turned away from him and began to leave I called over my shoulder.

"Well I had best be going now.-"

"Seeing as you're afraid of me." I heard him say to me, with a laugh.

"I'm not afraid of you." I sang back through gritted teeth.

"Prove it." As soon as he said those two words, my pride took over and I turned back to face him, fire blazing in my eyes.

"Fine."

"Alright, let's say you meet me back here, two nights from now, proving you're not in fact scared, even though you clearly are, and then I'll know for sure, lets say around eleven?"

I stared at him, it was one thing to have done this by accident, but coming here on purpose, where there was a pit full of snakes, was a completely different story.

_Should I go?_

_What if he's a juvenile delinquent?_

_What if he killed someone?_

_What if-_

My thoughts were cut short by Mullet fingers, who had now placed himself in my way, and was tapping his foot, and irritating me greatly.

"Well?"

"Deal." I said, I put out my hand and he grasped it firmly with one of his calloused hands. I smirked at him, he smiled back at me and with that I was on my way; I had no idea what I had just gotten myself in to.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimour: Not mine, don't sue

Chapter 2

After sneaking back in last night I'd been too tired to change and when I awoke I found myself in the same sweaty running gear. Yet I smelt of pine and fire, it was a nice aroma and it took me a moment to realize where it had came from.

_Mullet Fingers_, the name ran easily off the tongue though it was unique enough. I smiled at the thought, _a wild boy and my friend?_ I wondered as I lay in bed, too tired to move yet eager to get up and face the day.

My alarm sounded and I groaned in displeasure as I realized today was a Monday and I had track first thing.

"Morning inhabitants of Florida," Came the voice of Doug the d j. "Our latest updates today are slim but I'll try to make it interesting.

"Reports of vandalism have been made concerning the building of our new pancakes house, stakes being plucked and alligators in the port-o-potties. We also can't forget about our dear policeman who had his car windows painted, poor sucker.-"

He was interrupted by the laughter, coming from both him and his other employees. I yawned and got up, flexing my joints as I tried to awaken my body.

"Also when it comes to middle school troubles many were awed when young-"I reached the confounded machine and shut it off. There was really no need for such optimism on a Monday morning.

As I procrastinated, a thing I was notoriously good at, I stared about my room and pondered on the casual disarray that was my sanctuary. From bookshelf to lamp everything was especially messy and I cringed at the thought of cleaning it. My walls were a pale violet as they had been since I was six and white lace curtains covered my small window. My room was the loft and often got stuffy so my window was constantly open. A soft plush carpet greeted my feet as I padded over to my dresser.

Carefully removing my clothes, I changed quickly, eager to get out of my house and reach the track before class. I slid on my shoes, which had been thrown across my room last night, and grabbed spare clothes along with my bag as I descended the stairs.

I landed on the second floor and crept passed my parents room as quietly as possible. Stopping at the bathroom I brushed my teeth and took care of everything, I closed the door again; making sure my exit was as silent as my entrance.

I passed my brother's room last, his door was open and I saw a small head peeking between the covers. Alfred, or Fred as he preferred to be known, was seven years old and exceptionally dear to me, I couldn't t help but stop and kiss him goodbye as I left for school.

The first floor of my home was where the kitchen lay and as I reached it my hunger got the best of me. I stopped momentarily to down a bowl of cereal and ran out to the hall to fetch my hat.

The front hall takes up most of the room downstairs; it had a shoe closet filled with most of my coats and any winter attire ever needed, so I was shocked to find that my hat was missing as I reached it. I assumed it was resting on the hat stand but it wasn't there either.

"Where is it?" I murmured, distressed. "I had you last night when I went out for my run…"

My hat was necessary, in an odd way; I always ran with it and believed it to be lucky. I had won my first track meet with it and passed the soccer tryouts while wearing it as well.

"Where did I put you?" I wondered in confusion. I thought back to when I last had it. "I was running with Rachel and Anne, I took the path, fell into a pit, bumped into Mullet Fingers…"

_Mullet Fingers, of course!  
_  
_It must have fallen off last night_, I thought, _when I bumped into him. _

As I opened the front door and stepped out. The question was did I want my hat that desperately to go back and see him or could I survive without it?

Ten minutes or so later I found myself outside the golf course asking myself the same thing and I stepped forward without hesitation because my hat was most definitely that important.

It wasn't because I wanted to see Mullet Fingers at all.

I made it through the shrubbery with a little hassle a possible; it hadn't been as bad as the night before. I looked around the camp observing everything about. For one thing it didn't look as menacing in the bright sunshine as it did in the dark; a sense of inevitable security seemed to surround it, as strange as that sounded. It seemed almost cozy.

I must have been losing my mind.

"Oh, fish boy?" I called, with far more courage then I had. "Come out; come out, wherever you are."

Something moved out of the corner of my eye and I turned to see a blonde head appear out of something I'd assumed to be a plastic bag. The sleeping bag was black and tucked out of the clearing; I walked over to him wary as ever.

He groaned and turned to face me an annoyed expression on his face.

"I thought I told you to come back tomorrow." He muttered, his eyes closed, as he made no move to get up. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, you know I thought I'd stop by, have a chat, and bother you." I said with a smile, happy that I was a morning person. "There's also the fact that you have my lucky hat."

"Your hat?"

"Yes, Mullet, my hat. You don't happen to have seen it around here have you?"

"You came here and woke me up over a hat?"

"It's my lucky hat."

"Oh, well that changes _everything_."

He yawned, turned over and proceeded to go back to sleep. I glared at his back and was sorely tempted to kick him. Where was that bag of venomous snakes when you needed it…

"Mullet" I tried again and got no reply." Come on, the faster you help me find it the quicker you can get back to sleep."

I earned a grunt as a reply.

I sighed and sat down on the log beside him, deciding to wait, when a particular stick caught my eye. I picked it up and began to poke him with it.

After a few times I seemed he seemed to be getting the picture. As he turned around and yanked the piece of wood out of my grasp quicker then I thought possible for someone so tired. Looking thoroughly irritated he stood up.

He obviously wasn't very modest and began to search the campsite in only boxers while I just stared.

"Well," He commented, turning around and gazing at me in unaware of his current state. "Do you want to find this thing or not?"

"Do you want to put on some clothes first?" I question boldly and was surprised when my cheeks didn't flush. His expression was a proud one as he smiled.

"I'm sorry does my choice in clothing bother you?"

"Of course not," I stuttered over my words, his chest was rather distracting, and avoided eye contact with him. The ground was suddenly so fascinating. "I just don't understand how you're lack of clothing is helpful in finding my hat."

His grin seemed too big for his face as he strut over to another bag and after rifling through it a few times produced a light blue t-shirt. Tugging it over his head he winked back at me as I rolled my eyes and searched the dirt floor.

I tried not to look at him, it wasn't very hard. Yet I found my eyes drifting somewhat and hastily searched by the bushes in order to distract myself. It was going to be a long day…


End file.
